Wednesday, December 7, 2011

I finished the 2011 Battle of the Prizes, American Version (click here for the 2012 challenge). The challenge runs through January 31, 2012, so I finished early this year. I still have to finish the British Version.

I did not draw any grand conclusions from a comparison of the books that won the Pulizter compared to those that won the national, but I have a half-baked theory: I think that Pulitzer winners tend to be more accessible, more in the "good yarn" category; and National winners tend to be a bit more challenging, more willing to take chances. Because of this split, I think it is more likely that a random Pulitzer winner will still be enjoyable, while any given National winner may not have aged so well -- what may have seemed commendably edgy when it first came out now can be just trying to a reader.

Like I said, this theory as, at best, half baked. I'd say it holds true for the two Pulitzers I read and, somewhat, for the two Nationals. Both Nationals were more challenging and had experimental components to them, but The Hair of Harold Roux was knockout entertainment.